Supporting device for aerosol bombs or similar containers



O United States Patent l '113,'545,803

[72] Inventor 'l'onuo lusctttl [56]v R m-gu cited 21 A N ya My FOREIGN PATENTS 551 myu' 968 937,916 9/1963 Great anoint... 294/94 [45] Patented Dec. 8, 1970 Primary Examiner-Andres H. Nielsen [32] Priority Au- 2, 1967 Attorney-Steinberg and Blake W [3i] l9l24A/67 ABSTRACT: A container-supportlng apparatus capable of holding a container at an upper portion thereof so that the remainder of the container can be introduced into a medium such as a liquid while the container is supported at its upper part. The apparatus has arms which can be spread apart to enm gig g AEROSOL BOMBS 0R gage the container, and the spreading of these arms is brought y about by way of a tube which has a transverse member extend- 2 ing across and transversely beyond the tube to engage con- [52] US. 294/94, trols. A spring is compressed between this transverse member 294/8615, 294/106 and an abutment of a body from which the arms extend so as [Sl] ht. B66c 1/00 to act through the transverse member on the tube to urge the [$0] lleldofseorch 294/33, latter in the direction tending to spread the arms apart to a 86.25, 90, 94, 100, 106 I container-supporting position.

PATEN'TEDnEc em 3545803 sum 2 or 3 INVENTOR 40 4450 fiusa/ff/ I ATT RNEY 5 I PATENTEUUEC 8|97G SHEET 3 OF 3 HNVENTOR I v us Am/rr/ ATT RNEY g SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR AEROSOL BOMBS R SIMILAR CONTAINERS The present invention relates to a device for supporting containers, in particular aerosol containers of the type having at the top a valve affixed by a cap to the container body.

The main object of the present invention is to provide support. means for containers, especially aerosol containers, which supports the containers. over a limited zone, preferably by means of the container cap, but without touching the other parts of the container body: this in particular enables the containers to be immersed in a vat of hot water in order to check their condition, e.g. that-they are airtight.

Another Object of the present invention is to provide a support means which is inexpensive andsimple and utilises the elastic deformation of itscomponent parts to support the container.

These objects as well as others which will be better seen from the following detailed description are provided by a device which is essentially characterised by comprising a body provided with a series of spreadable arms forming an aperture at least partly tapered, and in which is slidably mounted means to causespreading of the arms when it enters the tapered part of the aperture." h

To illustrate better thesea'nd other features of the device provided by the present invention, one embodiment of such device will now be described, with reference to the attached drawings,'wherein:

FIG. l shows in axial section a device in accordance with the invention, supported by a conveyor chain: the device is shown in the contracted condition;

FIG. 2 in axial section the upper part of an aerosol container with the cap for closing the container and for supporting the usual valve unit.

FIG-3 is a section on lirre III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section on li'neIV-IV of FIG. 1;

' FIG. 5 is a section on lineV-V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows, also in axial section, the device of FIG. 1 in the spread positionwherein it supports a container by means of the cap, but without affecting the surface of the container body;

FIG. 7 shows, diagrammatically and in plan, possible equipment for utilising the aerosol container support devices of the invention; f

FIG. 8 shows, in elevation'and partly in section, the equipment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a graph representing the change of plane in two guides in the equipment, used respectively for controlling the support devices and for raising the containers to carry them towards the said devices.

With reference to FIGS. 1--6 which show in detail a device provided by the invention, it is noted that this comprises a body 1, preferably of flexible synthetic material such as nylon. The body 1 has an enlarged head 30 wherein are formed two threaded cavities into which screw bolts 14. These bolts 14 pass through a disc 32 mounted on the upper end of the head 30. The function of this disc is to cover an axial cavity running through body 1. The bolts 32 serve to affix the device to a conveyor chain 8, andfor this purpose pass through the axial cavities in the usual chain spacers 32a. Several devices are affixed at intervals to the chain.

The body is completed by an extension of greater length but lesser diameter, subdivided into a series of flexible arms or fin- I gers 2 by a number of diametral slots 3. At their lower end the flexible arms have a series of corrugations which provide a series of aligned grooves or channels in one of which is disposed an annular spring 13; The lower end of body 1 has a shape tapered on the external side, towards the bottom. The lower end of the axial cavity in body 1 also tapers towards the bottom, whereas the rest of the cavity is of unifonn cross section. Within the axial cavity in body 1 is slidably mounted a constant diameter tube 4, rounded at its lower end and transversely crossed by a bar 5 which is affixed to the tube itself, e.g. by welding. The bar 5 extends through a pair of diametrally opposed channels 3 or projects beyond one of these with an enlarged portion. A compression spring 6 is disposed between disc 32 and diameter bar 5.

Under the action of spring 6, the bar is pressed against a tooth 9 projecting from one of the fingers 2 transversely of the channel 3 wherein the bar is disposed. The tooth thus functions as a stop. Also under the action of spring 6, the upper end of tube 4 enters the conical zone of the axial cavity in body 1, causing the resilient spreading of the fingers 2 which, as shown in FIG. 6, are applied against a reentrant groove in the usual cap 12 which, when'affrxed to container 11, serves to hold the usual delivery valve.

References 11 indicate the containers, each provided with a cap 12 affixed to the container body along the upper circular rim of the container itself. The cap includes, in manner known per se, a delivery valve not shown. Within the said rim the cap 12 has a reentrant portion or annular groove adapted to receive the suitably shaped lower end (i.e. rounded and enlarged) of each arm 2 see FIG. 6.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show possible equipment for utilising the devices provided by the present invention. It is explicitly noted roller 20 slidable in a guide 21 affixed by any known method to the framework of the machine; this guide acts as a cam to raise and lower rod 19 and pan 17 in specific cycles as will be explained below. A further guide 22 also affixed to the framework, is also provided: the bars 5 slide herein so as to raise and lower tubes 4 at specific intervals and hence cause spreading or contraction of finger 2 as the case may be.

The equipment functions as follows:

The containers l1, conveyed by belt 15 in the direction of arrow F (see FIGS. 7 and 8) arrive in sequence at the rotating plate 16 and each settle on a pan 17.

The bar 5 of each device 30 is initially lowered under the force of spring 6, and presses against the stop tooth 9 so that the-tube 4, also lowered,acts on the internal conical surfaces 10 of arms 2, so keeping them spread (or radially displaced towards the exterior).

In FIG 9 the graphs a and bindicate the development of guide 21 and of guide 22 respectively.

On considering any particular container 11 with its corresponding device 30, it is noted that at a certain point the corresponding bar 5 (when the container 11 below is already on pan 17) travels a rising section in guide 22 corresponding to the section A-B in graph b, so that the said bar rises and hence causes tube 4 to rise, compressing spring 6. Thus because of their elasticity and under the action of annular spring 13 embracing them all, the arms 2 close (or their hot- 1 tom edges assume a circumference of minimum diameter).

Immediately afterwards, the roller 20 of the rod 19 integral with pan 17 supporting the container 11 under consideration, meets a rising section of guide 21, corresponding to the sec tion A'B' of graph a, and thus pan l7 rises taking with it container 11.

Thus the valve 12 of said container 11 is inserted on the lower ends of arms 2, which is made possible since the latter are now adjacent as explained above.

The bar 5 then travels the descending section of guide 22 corresponding to section C-D of graph b, so that tube 4 descends and thus acts on the conical surfaces 10 of arms 2 causing radial dilation. The arms 2 thus grip the cap 12 as shown in FIG. 6, so that the container 11 remains held by the arms in question.

The roller 20 travels a descending section of guide 21 corresponding to the section C'-D' of graph 0, so that pan 17 descends, while the container 11 held by the arms 2, as described above, continues its movement carried by chain 8.

The above sequence is repeated for each container, i.e. the containers 11 are engaged and sustained by the arms 2 of the set of devices carried by chain 8. After leaving pan 17, each container 11, transported by chain 8 while supported by a device 30, follows a predetermined path: in particular it is immersed in a vat of hot water to check the condition of the container itself.

Finally, in order to separate each container from its support device 30, it is sufficient to act on bar (in particular by guide 22) to raise it together with-tube 4, so that the arms 2 returns to a position wherein their lower edges are on a circumference of minimum diameter, so freeing the container.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for supporting a container, comprising a body, a plurality of arms provided on said body, said arms defining an aperture between the arms, said aperture including a tapered portion, and a part located in said body and displaceable into said aperture, said part being arranged and dimensioned to spread the arms when moved relative to and into the tapered portion, resilient means being provided in said-body and acting upon the said part and tending todisplacesaid part towards the tapered portion, said part being a tube and a transverse member extending across and being attachedr-to said tube, said transverse member extending out of said tube and between a pair of arms at each end.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient means comprise a spring located in compression between said transverse member and an abutment in the body. 

